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New research found that variants of COVID-19 can affect the brain in different ways and that the blood-brain barrier can be impacted. Scientists exposed brain cells to multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2, including the original wild-type virus, alpha, beta, delta, eta and omicron.

They discovered that while all variants caused stress to brain cells, exactly which cells were affected depended on the variant. This research could lay the groundwork for future investigations into the impact of the virus on the brain and whether vaccination can protect against these effects.